The North East can become the driving force of the 海角视频鈥檚 transition to net zero, speakers at a sustainability summit have declared.
More than 200 representatives of businesses, voluntary organisations, education providers and the public sector attended the second annual Net Zero North East England summit in Newcastle, where it was announced that the region鈥檚 economy could gain a 拢1.9bn annual boost through the move towards net zero, supporting 27,000 green jobs.
Net Zero North East England is a collaboration between local government, business, education, the public sector, and civil society, which aims to drive a comprehensive regional approach to tackling the climate emergency. The partnership is co-chaired by Heidi Mottram, chief executive of Northumbrian Water, Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council and Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne mayor, and includes board member representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses, engineering firm Mott MacDonald, Ryder Architecture and Northumberland County Council.
- Read more: Founder and chief executive of wholesaler Kitwave announces retirement
- Read more: Find more North East business news here
Ms Mottram said: 鈥淎chieving net zero is the biggest challenge facing the 海角视频 today, but for the North East it鈥檚 a tremendous opportunity too. We have the right industrial strengths, the right skills, and - importantly - the right ambition to be a driving force for positive change on net zero, in a way which benefits our economy as well as our environment.
鈥淲ith our rich heritage in innovation, and prominence in sectors like renewable energy generation, automotive manufacturing and the tech and digital space, there鈥檚 no better place to pave the way on net zero than the North East.鈥
The summit heard from speakers including Dr Eleni Bougioukou of the Port of Tyne, Charlotte Carpenter of Karbon Homes, and Jonathan Oxley, senior manager for Net Zero at the CBI.
Mr Oxley said: 鈥淎cross the country, we at the CBI are working to support the emerging clusters that can help the country address net zero. The North East is absolutely one of those, and it has all the right ingredients, from its business base, to its workforce and its regional leadership. The North East is already speaking with a common voice, it was great to hear that voice today and share my own perspective as part of the summit.鈥
